How long Manchester United have waited to sack managers as Michael Carrick clings onto his job

Manchester United chiefs don't hang about when it comes to sacking managers after a result that seals their fate. The awful 4-1 defeat to Como may have been the last act of Michael Carrick's reign.

If the humiliating result - one of the worst in United's proud European history - wasn't bad enough, it was followed by in-fighting. Bruno Fernandes accused Carrick of getting his tactics wrong, while the manager hit back, suggesting the players didn't work hard enough.

Carrick may be given more time but the way he put his hands up in apology to the away end after the match suggested he feels the writing is on the wall. If that was his final match at the helm, he may not have long to wait before being told.

United's decision-makers usually waste no time in pulling the trigger. Here's a round of how long the last six permanent United managers had to wait…

Ruben Amorim

The die was already cast for Amorim even before his final match in charge at Leeds in January. A tetchy meeting between him and Jason Wilcox on the Friday raised concerns and when Amorim called out the director of football in his post-match press conference, he was notified on the Monday morning, around 18 hours after the game.

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Erik ten Hag

The Dutchman, whose recent comments about a "toxic culture" in the dressing room make especially interesting reading after Wednesday's debacle, was also let go on a Monday after a Sunday defeat.

With United 14th in the table following a 2-1 loss to West Ham, Ten Hag was informed of his fate by chief executive Omar Berrada and then-sporting director Dan Ashworth.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

The last pre-INEOS sacking. Following a poor start to the 2021/22 season, Solskjaer knew his time was up at half-time of United's 4-1 defeat at Watford. He told The Athletic: "Nobody told me, but I knew at half-time against Watford. We didn't look like a Man United team."

Similar to Carrick versus Como, Solskjaer cut an apologetic figure in front of the United fans after the game. The axe formally fell the day after when he was called into a meeting by Ed Woodward.

Jose Mourinho

Perhaps because of his standing in the game - or how much it would have cost to sack him - Mourinho was shown the door almost two days after his final match, a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool, which left the team 19 points off their bitter rivals.

Louis van Gaal

One of the more brutal sackings, given the Dutchman had just won the FA Cup. Less than 24 hours later, he was told his services were no longer required. Official confirmation dropped on the Monday, with Mourinho being appointed the following day.

David Moyes

Following a 2-0 defeat at former club Everton, Sir Alex Ferguson's successor was officially let go less than 48 hours later in a meeting with Woodward. However, Moyes already knew what was coming after reading of his demise in the media the day before.